Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Mani the tabby has left his owners tearing their hair out after he went on a 12-month crime spree that left them £7,000 out of pocket.Damage-waiver clawsHugo Boss suit £500 Sofa £1,500Carpet £600 2 Paul Smith shirt £240 Pair of Patrick Cox shoes £175 Set of vases £300 Leather kitchen stools £400 Four calla lilies £280 Wine glasses £120 Vets' bills and other household damage £2,885Total £7,000

And it seems Mani is even trying to take over his street - he has often been left nursing war wounds, including a claw embedded in his head, from launching attacks on other cats.

And if all that was not quite enough, he has taken to raiding neighbours' houses - on one occasion he sneaked through a cat flap and stle a small bean bag.

Now owners Matt McLean, 28, and Katie Richards, 31, of surbiton, Surrey, never leave anything out and have no expensive ornaments. They have even put doors in their once open-plan flat to curb his madness. Marketing executive Katie said: 'He was really sweet when we first got him. But we started letting him out and he has been a terror since.

'He's like the little thug terrorising the street. We always joke that he is going through his teen years, his early adolescence and that he will grown out of it.

'We just don't know what we are going to come home to. I imagine it is like having little children. We have to hide everything all the time.

'He's a thief as weel. We keep coming home and finding loads of toys that aren't his. Our neighbours have two bigger cats but whenever they sees Mani they scarper. He's had about three big fights.

'He's a real handful at the moment. But we would never dream of getting rid of him. He's really affectionate, which makes up for it.'

Mani's story comes after a study by pet insurance provider Petplan revealed a surge in 'animal yobbery'.

Mani shows his softer side as he relaxes at home with owner Katie Richards